National Republican., 1887-12-16

With Marked Consideration - Tho
Prospects of the Negro Are Improving.
A limited but appreciative audience as
sembled at the Metropolitan A. M. T..
Church last evening TO hear Hon. Frederick
Douglass deliver lecture on "My journey
in Foreign Lands." On being introduced
Mr.. Douglass soon established friendly
feeling between himself and the audience.
"Adam," said Mr.. Douglass, twas the first
traveller, and we have been on the 90 ever
since" He wondered that people should
be willing to give up the comfort OF their
homes for a tour abroad, suffering oil sorts
OF Inconvenience and discomfort, but the
signs OF the times were that travel when
"lightnipg takes the place Of steam, as IL
WILL" would go on increasing until the
poorest could Ego on a tour"
Referring to Emerson's quotation, "a
rolling stone gathers no moss" Mr.. Doug
las brought down the house when he said
NOES had no especial value these days, and
rolling stones were not very valuable, but
he would rather be stone and 60 rolling
on forever than be an old stay. at home
mossback. To learn from trip to Europe
Mr.. Douglas held II was first necessary to
learn what Europe possessed, as an igno.
rant man could see nothing especially In
terestiDg In Shakespear.'s tomb, West
minister Abbey, the London tower, or the
Pantheon.
Referring to the condition OF the negro in
tie United States when he made his first
trip abroad, Mr.. Douglass said: "When /
first went abroad, forty-two years ago, l
had no standing room here; there was no
part OF this country where | could remain
In safety, so went as fugitive across the
Th. A...n H.. at Nl,ANN Nl....
refused 10 shelter me under its wings, be
rtides, she laid bad eggs about that time
[lsught,rl, and hurled them at my head;
but this time went as gentleman. Ap.
plause Twas not safe before uoder the
shadow Of Bunker Hill monument"
Mr.. Douglass said his reason for under.
taking his second trip was O desire to meet
those who had befriended him when q fugi-
tive slave. "ThiDgs are little better to.
day." said Mr.. Douglass, ''though they
still put us out OF the cars In the south,
and DO not allow us to eat in their restau-
rants, but 1t is getting better" [Applause.l
MIR. Douglass then took his audience with
bin ON trip to Europe, landing them In
London. In bis opinion the Eug'ish knew
but little about us, and what little they did
know was dt rived from the English press,
which devoted but little space to America,
other than the condition OF the money
market, and what little they knew was to our
disadvantage, never hearing OF anything
but blizzarde, mobs, wrecks, lynchings, and
so on. The iirst feeling on landing on for
eign coil was the apparent unrest pervad-
ing everywhere, no one knowing on retiring
for the night but that war would be on In
the morning by the decision OF some mon
arch, who allowed others to do the suffer.
ing. The sights Of the great city OF
London were laid before his audience
in most interestingly descriptive man
ner, and the permanent character Of the
English portrayed, and beautiful pic
lures Of English landscapes drawn. sand
while England is great" said Mr.. Doug
lass, "sbe will be greater when she adopts
home rule" tCheers.l
Mr.. Douglass then took the audience
over the route from London to p iris, and
thought II strange that France and Eng
land should be so directly opposite in soil,
people, religion, and manners, when so
contiguous, being only twenty.one miles
apart. There the beautiful English Sunday
was unknown, and a 4th Of July inaI.
gurated every seventh day. The French
customs, churches, and republic were all
+ euccessively portrayed, and the free and
easy system Of politics In America COM
pared with the brlstllng sword OF the
French republic. The cordial reception he
universally received abroad was mentioned,
he being an honored guest Of the most
prominent.
ut is NICE" said Mr.. Douglass, "for
colored man going abroad to be invited to
the houses of senators, princes, aud dukes
[laughterl and those sort Of people. He
feels rather curious at first. Laughter
He is not used TO 1t here 10 this free
country. lLaughter;l sun once in
while he gets an invitation to go into
society here. / was among the Irish last
night. Laughter We are coming mp.
That, you zee, is step upward. Rs-
newed laughter ] An American must nave
somebody und r. him. Toe American likes
10 tave the Irishmon under him, the Irish
the negroes, and the negroes the idog."
Laughter.
The Democratic party wa, severely
scored by Mr.. Douglass for attempting
to mislead the negro by saying the Republi-
can party didn't free tnem, aud there.
fore there was no gratitude due The
speaker had always supposed ths French
to be very polite, but on the streets he said
the reverse was true, as every one had to
take the curbstone to let Freuchman pass
"Just like the negroes did when they we're
first emancipated, they wanted to show
their freedom" said Mr. Douglass.
[Laughtcr.l
Mr.. Douglass paid bigh tribute to the
humane hack drivers OF Paris, who use no
check rein or blinders on their animals.
The utter absence of race prejudlce In
foreign lands Mr.. Douglass thought was
chiefly owing to the people never having
seen the negro slave, but as an educated
gentleman, and also to the great Roman
Catholic Church, which allows no social
distinctions. 1t was natural for men to
hate those they wrongsd, and having
wronged the negro for generations the
wounds still wrankled ON those who In
flicted them. The Indian was spoken Of In
the east as the noble red man, because he
made himself felt by ecalping, but the poor
negro was hated because he had been
wropged.
Owing to the lateness OF the hour Mr..
Douglass was compelled to leave his au-
dience flguratively at Paris, although they
wished time allowed journey to Venice,
Rome, Marseilles, st. Petersburg, SO. The
lecture was most enjoyable and instruc-
tive one, and Mr.. Douglass was warmly
congratulated at the close by many white